Show your employees you care

I went to a client’s office the other day and while waiting at the reception, I saw a big computer print out sign at the lobby—Happy birthday, Sonya! I asked the receptionist who Sonya was and he said that she is just one of the employees there.

Wow! What a great moti-vator! More than the living wages, more than flexibility on the job, more than job content, more than benefits and perks. The attention as a person motivates workers at all levels.
Motivation is not rocket science. It only needs a little creativity and innovation and a lot of caring for the person inside the uniform, behind the counter, on top of a tall fruit tree doing topwork, behind a safety shield, etc.

As Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” There are as many ways to show how much you value your employees as there are ways to count ways with the breath, smiles, tears, of your life. And here are some, according to my favorite authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton of the iconic book, The Carrot Principle. They don’t make a dent in your company coffer.

• Set clear specific goals

• Get your employees in planning, organizing and controlling their own jobs

• Figure out what you want to do. What will make everybody more productive, more valuable to your company, more efficient in the pursuit of your company vision and mission using your values?

• Make sure your company vision, mission and values are clear to everybody and make sure everybody has a copy aside from posting them in conspicuous locations in your workplace.

• Hire people who embody your values. They need not only know their job, but also what is important to your organization.

• Create victories along the way. Real progress and changes, things that make you move toward your vision and mission, take time. Celebrate little progress along the way. Sit down with your team and map out certain points throughout the coming year when your team may reach realistic group milestones.
Then plan and budget for celebrations.

• Give employees a voice. Hear their ideas and opinions. Give them timely feedback.

• Don’t ignore the simple things you can do every day. Recognize employees with your words, “Thank you for . . . ” Or “Great job on that . . .”

• Or give a handwritten note of appreciation or a card of thanks.
Or do any or all of these to keep your employees on their toes:

• Make formal milestones moments worth remembering, e.g. for service awards.

• Make recognition for a job well done public; even make a production out of it.

• Invite your employees to join you for lunch. Get to know them well, esp. their recent achievements.

• Create a funny traveling trophy—like a tiara, rubber chicken or GI Joe doll (you da’ man! Award)—and pass it around to the great performer of the week or month.

• Put a wind-up toy genie on an achiever’s desk and grant them one nonmonetary wish.

• Give an employee a garden statue or a plant for her yard with an inscription that reminds her how your appreciation continues to “grow.”

• Dedicate a tree at your plant or factory in honor of your employee of the year. If it is a fruiting or flowering tree, give the employee part of the produce each year.

• Upgrade an employee’s work area with a new chair or computer.

• Give the gift of a family portrait.

• Fly him to his next out-of-town meeting on first class.

• When you win a huge deal—say, for millions of pesos—frame a copy of the check in a wide, white frame and sign it, “You were a huge part of this.”

• When an employee travels to a cool city on business, add an extra day of rest and relaxation—on you.

• Plan a fun medal ceremony on a riser for a top performer. Include humorous pomp and circumstance. The gesture will be light, but the thought sincere.

• Send a book to an employee’s child’s birthday or recognition in school. Sign the inside cover with, “Your mom is so cool around here.”

• Give an employee a sleep-in pass for two hours when he is getting stressed. Wouldn’t it be great not to set the alarm even for a day?

• When an employee is working outside on a hot day, find out what his favorite non-alcoholic drink is, and deliver a huge, cold one. Nothings says thanks like a Big Gulp. –MOJE RAMOS-AQUINO, FPM, Manila Times

More next column. Share with us some of your own ways of getting your employees motivated.